Merivale has announced that Papi Chulo will close on Sunday 29 April to make way for an exciting Cantonese concept on Manly Wharf. Queen Chow Manly will open this winter, following a small refurbishment of the harbourside space.

Justin Hemmes, CEO of Merivale, said: “We have had a lot of fun at Papi these past four years, but felt the time was right to evolve the space and its offering. Queen Chow has been a tremendous success in the Inner West, so we’re going to take the very best bits from there and create something really special for Manly”.

Executive Chef Patrick Friesen and dumpling master Eric Koh will lead the charge, serving up a modern Cantonese menu of roast meats, live seafood and diverse dim sum. Further details on menu and open date will be announced in due course.

To celebrate the final weeks of Papi Chulo, the smokehouse and grill has launched a ‘best of’ menu, featuring much-loved classics and the return of old favourites. Friesen collaborated with regular guests and old and new staff to create the final list.

“Papi Chulo had a lot of bangers on her menu over the years and this is our way of giving Manly locals and our regulars one last bite. Of course, it had to match with Autumn seasonality, but quite a few old-timers have made a comeback. I can’t wait to have the porchetta again”.

“The last four years at Papi Chulo have been incredible, professionally and personally”, says Friesen. “I was proud to call Manly home for much of that time and truly believe it is one of the best postcodes in Sydney. We want to give Papi the send-off she deserves, as we prepare the Manly Wharf site for its exciting new chapter”.